Phal species...

[Cinderella]

Some of you must grow species Phals. (I think Lisa has some). Are some of the species more difficult to grow than others? I don't have anything mounted so that won't work. Just wondering if they are more "picky" than the hybrids.

I have Phal Pulchra and it seems to be growing fine in my conditions.

[uncasteeb]

Some are considered hard but if you have the right conditions they shouldn,t be that much more difficult than a NOID phal .
Phal gigantea is supposed to be slow growing & prone to crown rot.
Phal bellina semd to grow like a weed if it,s kept slighlty moist all the time.
Most species will grow under the same conditions as the more usual hybrids with a little tweaking of conditions(a little more light , heat).
There are some species that require a cool but bright winter , this may be difficult to achieve for a lot of people.
Getting them to flower is a whole new ball game though.
Just have to look up the particular 1,s your interested in & get some info of the WWW.

[Liz]

I've got two: a bellina and a violacea "Malaysia", and a primary hybrid Valentinii (cornu-cervi x bellina). I don't treat them any differently than my other phals. They're outside under shade cloth from about March to November, and under 4x40 watt fluorescents November to March. I grow in clay pots with sphagnum moss, fertilize with balanced time-released pellets, and water (with a hose or at the sink) whenever the top of the moss gets dry. Outside in the summer, this can be every other day sometimes; inside under the lights, it's about every 3-6 days, depending on the pot size. Maybe it's just the fortune of my good climate, but I don't do anything special for them and they do well for me.
Liz

[Cinderella]

Thanks. And Liz, I am jealous of your good climate! But you must be treating them right too.

[Tanya]

I have Phal schilleriana and this one is my 3rd attempt. The first two failed because I tried to grow them in pots. I'm not sure if that was really the cause of my two failures but the one I have at present is mounted and now have 2 spikes on its second blooming. This also stays outdoors from spring (soon after blooming) until the first cold snap in winter, anytime between Dec. to Feb.

[Cinderella]

Yikes.....that is one of the species I was interested in but I would be growing it in a pot too. Does anybody else grow this in a pot?

[Piper]

My mom bought a Phal schilleriana last Easter. It's in a pot and I believe is doing fine. She's away this week, but when she gets back I'll check what she does to keep it happy. Nothing very complicated, I know.

Julie

[Sue]

I have a few Phal. mannii. They like slightly higher light levels, and a dryish winter, but nothing too demanding. Of course, I haven't had them for long, so I might run into problems yet.

[Phalphanatic]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum today. I grow almost exclusively Phalaenopsis species. Phalaenopsis schilleriana like to be kept on the dryer side alittle more than other Phals. I grow mine two ways, both in pots. One is to have the plant in a clay pot with sphagnum and styrophone peanuts in the bottom. The second is in a clear plastic pot with slits down the sides, with sphagnum an more styrophone peanuts in the bottom. Place the sphagnum losely in the pot. 1/3 sphagnum and 2/3 peanuts. Keep the humidity high. I recommend this species for its beautiful arching sprays of pinkish flowers. Good luck.

[Piper]

Welcome Phalphanatic!

With a name like that, you'll fit right in!

Julie